A Rocha Ghana, a leading environmental conservation organization, has filed an interlocutory injunction against the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel A. Jinapor. The injunction aims to prevent the Minister and the Forestry Commission from continuing to declassify Globally Significant Biodiversity Areas (GSBAs) for logging activities.
The suit, filed on October 10 and reported by Citinewsroom.com, also seeks a perpetual injunction to stop the Minister and the Forestry Commission from engaging in any transactions or contracts that grant rights or concessions for commercial timber exploitation in these critical biodiversity areas. A Rocha Ghana argues that such activities could threaten the ecological balance of these important habitats.
In addition, A Rocha Ghana is urging the court to declare the issuance of Timber Utilisation Contracts without parliamentary approval as unlawful. The organization, which has a long history of advocating for sustainable management of ecological areas, had earlier joined forces with six other civil society groups in September to signal their intention to sue the government over illegal mining in forest reserves.